New Adventures
by driftswig3
Summary: Ice Age fanfic. I plan on making this a rather long story, whenever I have time, I will work on it. How will the herd, Shira and her former pack all fit together in the same story? We will soon find out.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: Prologue**

*****DISCLAIMER*** I DO NOT OWN ICE AGE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS**

(With Shira)

She woke up. It was time for a morning hunt. It had been a week since Shira left her pack. She got sick of the way she was being treated simply because of the color of her fur and her gender. She has survived to this point, but it hasn't been as easy at she had thought. Pack life was so much less stressful as far as general necessities and survival, but it wasn't worth it if she was seen as more of an outcast than a pack member.

'I can't survive like this, but I can't go back to them.' Shira's thoughts were racing through her head. 'If I go back, they'll kill me, but if I try to keep going like this, I may die anyway. There has got to be another way.'

(With pack)

The pack leader woke up. He and his five best warriors were about to set off on a hunt. No one left his pack. He has been furiously pacing and thinking for the past week on how they are going to track down Shira. He knew that she was considerably weaker than he and his pack, but she was faster, and very clever.

"Wake up, brothers. We have work to do." Brysen, Coleman, Trent, Arian, and Lathan woke up, ready to listen to their leader's orders. "She left us, we saved her life. We could've left Shira to die, and she just leaves us. She will pay with her life she should've lost when Diego and I came across her."

'Diego.' He cringed at the name. They were the best of friends, they always looked out for each other. Then he turned on him. He made friends with some mammoth, and... a sloth, of all things. That mammoth left him in serious pain, he owed his life to his 5 friends. He would never do to them what Diego did to him. In the process, Oscar, Lenny and Zeke, his other pack mates were driven away to an unkown fate. 'Shira should've been thankful she found me alive that day.'

"We are ready, Soto." Brysen said. The pack knew their task. They were the best hunters in the world.

(With herd)

Diego had been with the herd for so long, they had been through everything together. Ever since Manny saved his life, he realized what it was like to have others who truly care for you. They formed a family, an odd family, but a true, caring family. Sometimes, he wonders how he ended up with three mammoths, two opposums, a sloth and a molehog, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

They had been through everything together, the meltdown, dinosaurs, birth, and the continental drift. Every day awaited another adventure for Diego and the herd.

"See ya, Manny, I'm gonna go on a hunt." he announced.

"OK, buddy. Be careful, and good luck." Manny replied.

Diego had a strong appetite for his breakfast, but today's adventure would not go nearly as planned.

...

**My first chapter, I didn't want to make it long because it has more of a short, introductory purpose. I hope it gets you ready to see the rest, I have some things planned :)**


	2. Chapter 2

** CHAPTER 2**

(With Shira)

She had been hunting for a few hours now. She didn't catch anything yesterday, so she was getting quite hungry. 'This would be so much easier with Brysen or Arian...'

She shook that thought out of her head. She wanted the memories of her pack life gone. 'I can't avoid it, I can't live by myself.' She knew it. She clearly remembered leaving Diego's lifeless body behind that day when they recovered Soto. She hated him for turning on her pack leader, but she now realizes maybe he was right in doing so.

She had no idea where she was, how far or in what direction she was from Soto, but she wanted to be as far away as possible. She was lucky to get away from the other sabers without waking them. She didn't want to give them the chance of tracking her down. 'They'll murder me, they hated me to begin with'.

She knew that she was lucky to be alive. Soto and Diego could've left her behind with her dead parents. They had been attacked by sabers. Her parents were killed, but perhaps they weren't heartless enough to kill a younger saber. 'Why. I was just learning how to hunt with my parents.' That day she went from excitement to terrible misery in a matter of minutes.

'They saved me, but Diego traded sides... that changed them. Something lit up inside them. They hated me. Almost as if it was my fault Soto was nearly killed by a mammoth.'

She regained focus. The focus was to get her first meal since the evening before last. And she caught a scent. 'Time for a good breakfast'.

(with the herd)

Everyone woke up, ready for a new day. Diego was gone hunting. Peaches, the young mammoth, and Louis, the molehog, went out to hang out with their friends. They had all had their breakfast, and it was time to begin a new day.

Manny, the leader of the herd, had become happy for his daughter. Not too long ago, he wouldn't let Peaches go anywhere, scared that even a little molehog could hurt his daughter. He was so happy to see Peaches with her new friends, he had finally overcome that over protective stage of parenthood. Ellie was relieved of this too.

"It's great to see, isn't it. She has people she can trust every day." Ellie said to her mate.

"It really is, I wish I could've realized sooner." Manny replied with a chuckle.

"Me too."

These happy emotions would last only so long...

(with Diego)

He had a scent. Diego had been extremely successful in hunting recently. He was ready to get another catch for his breakfast. He already could tell it was gonna be an antelope for this meal.

'Where are ya buddy...' He had the scent. His hunting instincts took over...

(General)

Shira felt the scent coming closer. She was so hungry, nothing could hold her back. It was strong now. Without even looking or thinking, she pounced out of the bushes onto her prey. Only this, was least expected.

"What the heck, what just happened?..." Diego said, confused and dazed. A silver figure had jumped out of nowhere to tackle him. This was not the scent he had been tracking, this was something else. Something... familiar.

"A saber? Seriously? I can't frickin catch anything!" Shira shouted, angrily.

"I know you from somewhere." said Diego, lowly.

"What?!"

"No way..." Diego was stunned at who he came across.

Shira looked behind her at the golden saber she just tackled. She couldn't believe it.

"Die...!"

"I've gotta get out of here." Diego said panicking, fearful of what else was around.

"No, Diego, wait!" Shira yelled after him.

She was about to sprint after him until the antelope sprinted in between them. She knew what was more important. She killed the antelope, and had her meal. The thought was in the back of her head that the one saber she had a glimpse of trust in, the one she thought was dead, was alive, and around.

(with Diego)

'They're gonna kill me, and then they're gonna find Manny, Ellie, Sid... Peaches.' Diego thought. He knew better than anyone how powerful Soto's pack could've turned into. He knew Oscar, Lenny and Zeke were the top sabers, but they were loyal to their former leader. They could've taken Brysen and the others and made them as strong as Soto was, and then some...

He sprinted through the woods. The morning hunt was off of his mind. His herd, his family, was priority. He had to keep them safe. He knew Manny would understand. They have been through so much to begin with.

'They know what Soto would've wanted, they would want me dead. He would want Manny and Sid dead also. I can't let it happen.' These thoughts raced through his head as he raced through the forest.

(with the teenagers)

"Man that was fun." Ethan said laughing. The group had just finished playing catch with Louis, in a ball.

"Yeah, we gotta do that again." said Louis. "I liked being the ball, it was fun."

"Yeah, molehog. Except for when you clawed me." Evan said, sarcastically.

"Hey don't be a wuss, it didn't hurt that bad." Ethan shot back. The girls laughed.

All of the sudden, a certain golden saber toothed tiger bolted out into the clearing. Diego caught sight of Ethan.

"Everyone get back to Manny, we are all in danger! Ethan lead them there, you know how to get there, right."

"Uh... sure. Wh...?"

"Good! Be safe! I'll explain later!" Diego shouted, leaving them.

"But..." Ethan was too late, Diego was out of sight.

Ethan was confused as was the rest of the group. What was Diego frightened of?

"He is never like that, he's a saber, for god's sake." Ethan started up a new conversation.

"He's been my uncle for 14 years now, and he's never been scared of anything. Not even those dinosaurs." Peaches replied

"I think he knows what he's talking about, let's head back." said Louis.

"Agreed."

(with Diego)

"Manny! Manny! Where are you?" Diego shouted, in panic.

"What's wrong, tiger?" Sid, said jokingly.

"Now's not the time, Sid. I need to talk to Manny."

"You seem scared, Diego. Did a bird scare you?" Sid was in a joking mood. Diego, obviously was not. "SHUT UP, SLOTH! WE ARE ALL IN DANGER, I NEED TO TALK TO MANNY, YOU KNOW, THAT HUGE MAMMOTH WE'VE BEEN TRAVELING WITH FOR 5 YEARS."

"Ah! Sorry, sorry, sorry. I think he went... uh, that way."

"No you don't, Sid. You're useless!"

"You're right, I have no idea, last I saw him he was with Ellie around here, probably about a half hour ago."

"Thanks for an answer... took long enough!"

(with Manny)

"What's all that yelling, isn't that Diego?" Manny asked Ellie.

"Sure enough, I wonder why?"

"Let's go check it out."

Manny walked back to the meeting place with an abrupt slew of words in his face. He couldn't even take them all in. It was Diego. He was in a frightening panic.

"Slow down Diego, please, calm down. What's wrong?" Manny started.

"I'm panicking, my old pack is around and if they find me, you, Sid, or anyone here, they will make a great meal out of all of us." Diego said, panicking.

"You're leader was killed five years ago, there's no way they are around. And we are on an island, there's no way they could get here."

"This "island", Manny, must be connected to the mainland, somehow. I came across one of my old pack members on my hunt, she tackled me. She let me go, but she can't be the only one around!"

"What are you saying, Diego."

"WE NEED TO GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THERE'S A LOT OF PLACES TO GO IF MY OLD PACK IS HERE!" Diego shouted.

"We'll get the herd together, and you will calmly explain our situation."

"I will try to stay calm."

"Fair enough."

(with Shira)

Shira finished her meal, but she couldn't keep it out of her head. 'Diego, he's... alive, and he's within reach of me.' She lost trust for all of the other sabers, Soto, Brysen, Arian, all of them. She did not lose trust for Diego. She missed Diego, she hated that he had died. But, he didn't die. 'He is alive, and I just made contact with him. And... then... he ran from me.' She wondered why. He was just as shocked as she was. Now instead of searching for a meal, she was searching... for a long lost friend. Or maybe more...

(with the pack)

Soto looked at his best warriors. Coleman, like Lathan, wasn't the strongest or the quickest, but he had the best scent. He was easy to rely on. He reminded Soto of... Zeke. Trent. Very strong, he could land a kill on anyone, but he wasn't the smartest. He resembled... Lenny. Lathan, probably the more tactical of them all. Not the strongest, not the fastest, but he was... clutch. He was similar to... Oscar. Arian. Fast as lightning, the momentum was so useful. He was a gender opposite version of... Shira. And then there was Brysen. Brysen was strong. He had a good amount of speed, and he was extremely resilient. Brysen was the most loyal. Brysen was someone Soto could trust through anything. He reminded Soto of... Diego. 'Diego. Screw you Diego.'

"We are the best species in the world. We six tigers are the best out there. We could be eight, but two of our best turned on us. One is already dead. The other is out there. No one turns on my pack! That is why you five are here alongside me. We will end the life that I saved. I was a fool for saving a life that would turn its back on me. Shira will die a painful death, one she should've experienced to begin with. Let's go."

"Yes, Soto." The five replied in harmony.

...

**This was much longer. I hope you all enjoyed it! There is more to come :) Please write me some reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Sorry for the long wait, in case anyone was wondering, I've been extremely busy with soccer and school, I've been working little by little on this, so here it is :)

(with the herd)

Diego was trying his best to stay calm. He had a strong sense that his former pack was here, and he knew what would happen if they caught a slight sense of him. He knew Zeke was the best tracker in the pack. Manny had told him that he needed to address the herd of the situation, and what needed to be done.

Ethan, Evan, Steffie, Meghan, Katie, Peaches and Louis arrived at the meeting place, where the rest of the herd was meeting to listen to Diego. The teenagers in particular, were confused about what Diego could've been scared over.

"Nothing scares my uncle, nothing. This has to be serious." Peaches spoke.

"Yeah, as long as I've known him I always thought him as the fearless one. Something must be really wrong here." Ethan replied

Everyone was at the meeting place, except for two certain twins. Crash and Eddie were out doing their crazy things.

"Where could they be this time..." Ellie said, somewhat worried.

"And you made fun of me for being protective?!" Manny exclaimed, jokingly.

"Touche."

Diego walked to the front of the group. "Is everyone here?"

"No, Crash and Eddie are not." Ellie spoke up.

"Doesn't make a difference, they wouldn't have a clue anyway..." Diego retorted. "As long as we leave with them, it's all good."

"Leave? What are you talking about Uncle Diego?" Peaches questioned. The other animals seemed to copy her.

"Before I begin, I just want you all to know that I can be trusted. You all know that. You have to listen to me. I am an expert on this type of situation, and what could happen. I... was a part of something like this before."

"What is it?" Peaches questioned, again.

"Allow me to explain. I apologize if I panic, just bear with me. I was on my morning hunt about an hour and a half ago, when I was tackled. I opened my eyes and saw one of my old pack members, she had tackled me. I immediately got suspicious, I sprinted away, figuring she can't be the only one. You all know what happened five years ago. The sabers that are still left in that pack could've only got stronger. They knew our former leader well enough to keep the pack alive, and raise even greater warriors. They will target me, Manny and Sid, and probably all of you because I turned on their leader on that day. We need to move, now!"

Diego's speech was over. Crash and Eddie had arrived at the end. Sid, who was cracking up at the fact that Diego got tackled by a female saber, told them. All three were in a ball of laughter.

"Nothing is funny, idiots." Diego said, annoyed.

"The tough tiger got tackled by a girl, that's what's funny, buddy."

"SHUT UP!" Diego shouted, with a growl.

Diego delivered the speech without much panic, but he was being watched...

(with Shira)

'He still thinks I'm a loyal member to the pack, and he thinks Soto is dead. He thinks Oscar, Lenny and Zeke are the leaders. He does have one thing right, they could be around, they were the best trackers, hunters and killers in the world.'

Shira listened to her old friend stealthily from behind a nearby rock. 'If I approach him, he will attack. He clearly has his life dedicated to them. How soft...' Shira thought, with a chuckle. 'How could he bear with that sloth.'

'I have to tell him. He needs to know. I have to make him trust me. I trust him...' Shira contemplated how she was going to let him know.

Night fell, and Shira had a flashback...

Two golden sabers were walking through the woods when they came across her...

_"Soto, look over there. Oh no..."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Two adults and maybe a saber our age, dead."_

_"Shame. Let's move on."_

_"Wait!"_

_"What?"_

_"The younger one, she has a pulse! She's still alive."_

_"She's gonna die anyway. It's no use."_

_"No! We can save her! She looks like a good addition."_

_"Too much effort to save a dying animal, we have more important things to worry about."_

_"OK. You go do those things, and I will help this saber survive, and make her a great member of our pack!"_

_"She is a fine saber, she could be useful... but I won't have any part in her survival. You help her, Diego."_

_"I will. I promise."_

(end of flashback)

Shira opened her eyes. She just took that flashback in. 'He didn't care about me at all. Diego did. Soto only wanted me to be in the pack, otherwise he would've left me for dead. I owe my life to Diego...'

'I have to get him to trust me. This will never work without his trust. I will follow them, and at night I will speak with him.'

Shira had a plan, and she would make it work, at all costs.

(with the pack)

They spent a week training for their journey. They trained hard, like a real life situation. They trained as if they were killing a saber. They had great techinques, and great skills. Soto was a strong leader, the most experienced, and the strongest. He lived through a dozen icicles impaling his body. He could survive anything. He would achieve his goals at all costs. He made sure that his pack's mission to kill Shira would not end in failure. Their formation was a hexagon. He would bring up the rear. He was the one to make sure everything was going as planned, and that the shape was correct. In front of him, at the opposite side of the shape, was his best tracker, Coleman. Coleman was a signal, he would release a low growl to signal when it was time to attack. On the left side of the hexagon was Brysen and Lathan. Soto had Arian and Trent on the right side.

'We practiced with a pentagon, with me in the middle, a hexagon can't possibly fail.' Soto thought. The training sessions were very productive. They practiced their tactical and pinning techniques on him, but honed their killing techinques during their hunts.

They were 10 minutes underway, they had really started from scratch. He had his trust that Coleman's tracking skill could lead them to Shira.

"What's up, Cole?" Soto spoke softly

"It's probably gonna take a while, but I'm working on it, we'll keep heading south."

"Keep it up, you're doing well."

Shira was in their pack, they knew her scent very well. They would know if they were coming up on her or not. Then... about a half hour later...

"I've got something familiar, Soto." Coleman spoke up

"Keep quiet, to a whisper, everyone, we have Shira." Soto told everyone

"No, Soto... it's someone else, but I know this scent, we have to follow it."

"I have no idea... who...?"

"I don't know, Soto, but it's something I know."

"If it's familiar, we've got something, let's follow it Cole."

'Who could it be? We haven't come in a circle, we've been heading south this whole time. Cole knows scents like I knew Diego. I have to trust him.'

(with unknown)

"He doesn't even remember. How could he forget..."

...

Well, that's what I have for Chapter 3. Who has Coleman found? What will Shira do?

PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS, I LOVE TO HEAR FEEDBACK


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

I found a lot of time today to put this together, I hope you all enjoy! :)

(with Diego and the herd)

"Where are we gonna go, Diego?" Manny asked soon into their abrupt leave from their newly settled spot on the land.

"Where I feel it is safe, there are enemies out there. She will surely inform the pack leaders of me." Diego replied.

"You don't know that."

"It's almost certain. I know Oscar and the others want to kill me after I turned on Soto."

"Would 'she' want to?" Ellie chimed in

"She's a member of the pack, so I see no reason why not."

"Then why didn't she?" Manny questioned.

"Because I bolted right after she tried to. I lost her, fortunately. It's my responsibility to keep you all safe from them, I know them better than anyone, even after all this time."

"Can you explain to us who 'she' is?" Sid spoke up, with a chuckle.

"As a matter of fact I can, allow me. Her name is Shira. We have quite a history. It all started with Shira back in the old pack days, when Soto and I were the best of friends. We had just finished a hunt, and we came across three silver sabers. The larger ones were mates, and the smaller one, about my size, was a female... Shira. The parents were... dead. Shira was most likely on her last breaths. Soto and I agreed that she would be a solid addition to the pack, so I took care of her and was the main one involved in her recovery. She became a pack member. Shira was fast, so she was useful for some missions. You guys know what happened with Soto. I haven't seen her at all besides what happened a couple of hours ago."

"Is there anything else you need to tell us, tigey wigey?" Sid joked, about to burst laughing.

"NO."

So the herd moved on, with Diego leading them and protecting them, but they were being followed.

(with Shira)

Shira heard everything Diego said. All the past things that he did mention were true. 'He thinks I'm still in the pack, he thinks Oscar is the pack leader, and he thinks I tried to kill him.'

She needed a way to Diego. She examined them closely. 'Someone in there has to understand. I can't talk to the mammoths, I know what they can do. Diego will attack. The sloth is beyond stupid.' *Crash and Eddie fall from a branch on to Diego* 'As are the possums. There is something about that molehog.'

(General)

Louis was a very trustworthy molehog. He was quiet, but not too shy as of late. He and Peaches have been friends since they were toddlers. He has made new friends with Ethan and the others. Everyone liked him, he never harmed anyone, and was just a whole lot of fun to be around. He finally earned the respect of Peaches' father, Manny. Life was great for the young molehog, but he is about to be faced with something extremely difficult, something he is not prepared for.

(back with Shira)

She had been following and studying this herd for 4 hours now. It is now 2 hours until dark. 'That molehog is who I need. He seems easy enough to talk to. He is at the back too, so I can snatch him. I need to avoid those mammoths...'

Louis was traveling on the ground in the back row with Peaches and the other teenage mammoths. Somehow Shira has to get him without the mammoths noticing. She was in luck, this was going to be a lot easier.

"Look, berries! I'll go get some." Louis exclaimed.

"Awesome, I need a snack anyway, nice catch Louis." Ethan replied

"I'll catch up!"

Louis neared the berries, and Shira was there. She knew what to do.

"Uh, hello there." Shira let out words.

"AH! SABER?!" Louis yelled.

Luckily, Louis wasn't loud enough for the others to hear, and they were a bit ahead.

"Shh, shh, I'm not gonna harm you." Shira quieted to a whisper.

"This is what Diego m..!.."

"SHUT UP! LET ME SPEAK, I COME IN PEACE!" Shira said to Louis firmly.

"Wait a minute... you must be the saber that tackled him before."

"Yes I am, I've been following, watching and listening since you guys were about to leave."

"Now the name is... Sara, right?"

"Close, Shira. I need to talk to you, I'm lucky you found these berries. Here, take them."

"Um, thank you. My name is Louis. Now why would you need to talk to me."

"I need to talk to Diego. He has no idea what has happened to me and why I'm alone, and he kind of needs to know."

"So... why not just talk to him?"

"He will attack, and the mammoths will attack also. I saw the Soto incident first hand, I'm sure you've heard about it."

"Of course I have. Scary."

"I will keep following, all I need you to do is somehow get Diego to me. I will keep in touch when I need you."

"Ok, and we can trust you, right?"

"Yes, I mean no harm. But I need to inform him of what is happening. Thank you so much."

'Yes, yes, yes!' Shira thought. She wasn't finished, it was still going to be hard to get Diego to keep calm. This molehog seemed like a good pick, however.

(With Louis, about an hour and a half later)

He had talked with Shira twice after the first time, he had a good idea of what he needed to do to lead Diego to Shira.

"Hey, Diego." He started

"Hey, buddy, what's up?"

"Nothing new, I see a pretty nice spot right over that hill there. Looks like a good spot for the night."

"You're right, Louis. We'll stop there."

"How long do you think it's gonna take to get there?"

"About 5 minutes."

"All right."

(General)

Diego stopped and faced the herd.

"Louis made a great suggestion, in about 5 minutes we will be up over that hill to your right. We will stop there for the night, how does that sound?"

*the herd nods in approval*

"Very well, thank you, Louis."

(with Shira)

"Thank you so much, Louis. He is going to hunt, though, correct?"

"Yes. That's what he said, anyway."

"Awesome, awesome, awesome. I can't thank you enough."

"Any time, Shira."

'That molehog is great. He did all of that, pretty cool. Now I get to speak with him.' She was overcome with excitedness. She couldn't wait to talk with her long lost friend.

(General)

The herd stopped at the spot that Louis picked out, and began to have their evening feast. Diego, obviously the lone carnivore, went out to hunt.

(with Diego)

'What's for dinner tonight, Diego. I guess whatever I find.' About five minutes into his hunt, he was stopped.

(General)

"Hey." Shira spoke up.

"WHAT THE..." Diego jumped, startled.

"Calm down, tiger!" Shira said laughing.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CALM DOWN. YOU..."

"Let me explain, damnit!"

"How? You're here to kill us all, aren't you?"

"STOP. CALM DOWN."

"Let me hunt!"

"I NEED TO TALK TO YOU. I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD UNTIL TODAY, LET ME SPEAK."

Diego took that in, and allowed her to explain.

"Ok. Fair enough."

"First of all, I am not following you to kill you, or any of your friends. Am I clear?"

"I hope you are."

"Second of all, I am not in the pack, I have listened to every word you said. I'm not saying you were lying, because how could you know?"

"What? You left?"

"Yes. They treated me like dirt to the point where I couldn't take it anymore."

"I would never expect that from Oscar and the others."

"I'm not done."

*Manny is calling for Diego*

"Shira, will you be around tonight?"

"Yes. Why?"

"The mammoth gets worried, I better head back for now. There is a cave I passed, we'll hang out in there when I can get away."

"Got it. I'll be waiting."

(with Diego)

He just ran down and antelope and ate from it. He left the rest at the cave he mentioned for Shira.

'I still don't know if I trust her. She has followed us all this way without doing anything, I guess that's a sign.'

Thoughts were racing through his head. 'She left them... I need to find out more, this is important.'

...

**No pack this chapter, but they will be there in Chapter 5. What will Shira and Diego discuss? **

**Please write me some reviews, and follow/favorite if you like it.**


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